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PHE urges emphasis on brisk walking rather than counting steps

Public Health England (PHE) together with the Royal College of GPs is advising adults to focus on walking briskly rather than just completing the goal of 10,000 steps a day.

Experts are encouraging individuals to emphasise more on the intensity of walking rather than focusing on the distance covered or the number of steps. Moderate intensity physical activity refers to raising the heart rate up and breathing faster. Walking briskly for just 10 minutes a day is effective for adults to introduce more moderate intensity physical activity into their routine and reduce the risk for early mortality by up to 15%. Benefits of brisk walking include reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A 10-minute brisk walk daily can help contribute to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ recommendation of a minimum 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.

The United Kingdom is currently experiencing a physical inactivity crisis. About 1 in 6 deaths among adults in the United Kingdom could be attributed to physical inactivity and it costs the NHS >£0.5 billion per year. A survey conducted by the PHE indicates that many adults struggle to fit in exercise. Not having enough time is cited as the primary reason (31%), followed by lack of motivation (27%) and feeling of tiredness (25%). Although 87% of the respondents said they walked for >10 minutes daily, just 54% were found to walk briskly.

PHE’s ‘Active 10’ app is an effective way to monitor daily brisk walking as it combines intensity and time, rather than just distance.


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